title: Polycomblike 2 facilitates the recruitment of PRC2 Polycomb group complexes to the inactive X chromosome and to target loci in embryonic stem cells.
abstract: Polycomb group (PcG) proteins play an important role in the control of developmental gene expression in higher organisms. In mammalian systems, PcG proteins participate in the control of pluripotency, cell fate, cell cycle regulation, X chromosome inactivation and parental imprinting. In this study we have analysed the function of the mouse PcG protein polycomblike 2 (Pcl2), one of three homologues of the Drosophila Polycomblike (Pcl) protein. We show that Pcl2 is expressed at high levels during early embryogenesis and in embryonic stem (ES) cells. At the biochemical level, Pcl2 interacts with core components of the histone H3K27 methyltransferase complex Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), to form a distinct substoichiometric biochemical complex, Pcl2-PRC2. Functional analysis using RNAi knockdown demonstrates that Pcl2-PRC2 facilitates both PRC2 recruitment to the inactive X chromosome in differentiating XX ES cells and PRC2 recruitment to target genes in undifferentiated ES cells. The role of Pcl2 in PRC2 targeting in ES cells is critically dependent on a conserved PHD finger domain, suggesting that Pcl2 might function through the recognition of a specific chromatin configuration.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Epigenetics Group, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casanova
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Preissner
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cerase
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Poot
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Xiangzhi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Appanah
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bezstarosti
authors.forename: Jeroen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Demmers
authors.forename: Haruhiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koseki
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brockdorff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D051379:Mice; D063151:Polycomb Repressive Complex 2; D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins; D011247:Pregnancy; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014960:X Chromosome / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C568886:Mtf2 protein, mouse; D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D063151:Polycomb Repressive Complex 2